How did the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front become the leading Eritrean nationalist movement by 1981?

The Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) emerged as the leading nationalist movement by 1981 primarily through its success in eliminating its main rival, the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF).123

Formed in 1970 by a breakaway faction of the ELF, the EPLF distinguished itself as a secular, Marxist organization led largely by former students. Throughout the 1970s, the EPLF secured control over significant portions of the Eritrean countryside and established effective administrative systems in those areas.123

While both the EPLF and ELF initially fought against the Ethiopian government, internal conflict between the two groups intensified over time. By 1981, violent clashes between the EPLF, the ELF, and other rebel factions occurred, which ultimately resulted in the EPLF successfully neutralizing the ELF. Following this, the EPLF emerged as the unchallenged champion of Eritrean nationalism, continuing the guerrilla warfare campaign against the Ethiopian regime throughout the 1980s until achieving independence in 1993.123